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 For years the problem of overweight and obesity in children has been considered an affliction of the lower classes, but this is really not the case, as evidenced by the new line of clothing for ages 3 to 16 recently introduced by Marks & Spencer.
In response to customer request, the top-selling retailer for British school wear just came out with their “plus size” range of clothing, cut 2 ½ inches larger than the regular lines to accommodate wider waists and hips.
The larger measurements translate to clothing sized for the ‘average’ eight-year-old boy appearing in the four-year-old section, and women’s size 18 in the girl’s sixteen-year-old range. Spokespersons for Marks & Spencer said that last week’s launch of the Plus Fit line was a trial run, and the response from consumers will determine whether the company continues the line on a permanent basis.
M & S is not the first in their attempt to cater to this new trend; BHS had the idea in 2005, and other retailers such as Next and Asda have already introduced the larger sizes in children’s lines.
The move by Marks & Spencer underlines an ongoing controversy in the field of national health care. Tam Fry, honorary chairman of the Child Growth Foundation and member of the National Obesity Forum, said that this is just the “commercial recognition” of a problem that has grown alarmingly worse in the past two decades.
About 27% of British children are overweight or obese by the time they enter primary school, and the fault lies not only with parents, but more specifically with the government, which he says has failed in its obligation to regulate the food industry.
A nurse from Utah is expecting to give birth to two children, but what makes her experience different is that the children are not twins, but instead two different embryos in two different uteruses, due to the fact that she was born with a double uterus.
The mother, Angie Cromar, is not having twins, but instead two children that are growing next to each other and will be born one week apart.
Cromar is age 34 and has had to successful pregnancies already in life, each separately in the regular fashion. Her first ultrasound revealed that she was carrying two children; this time however, the scan also showed that the children are at different stages in their development.
Cromar’s doctor, Dr. Steve Terry, stated that the news came as quite a surprise.
 There are a set of complications that can come from children that are born from a double uterus including the fact that the condition is often not diagnosed, and women who have it are more likely to have a premature birth or miscarriage.
The actual chances of getting pregnant simultaneously in both uteruses is one in five million with fewer than 100 such occurrences reported across the globe.
Cromer stated that she knows the complications that are possible and is nervous but is still excited about the babies.
 A new survey by Family Friendly Working and mumandworking.com in an effort to start up the mumandworking awards revealed that parents are still choosing to leave the workplace even though it means that their family income will drop as a result. The survey also showed that parents choose time with their family and jobs that offer flexible hours over the amount they earn and job security when choosing a job.
About 80% of the parents included in the survey change their working pattern once they started to have children. The predominant reason that people changed is because they wanted to spend more time at home with their family. About half of the parents stated that their priorities changed with another three out of ten reporting that there was not proper childcare available for their work schedules.
Another three out of twenty parents stated that it was not financially worth it to continue to work because of the high cost of childcare cancelling out any profit. Most parents in the survey stated they are happy with their decision with not one respondent answering that they made the wrong choice by leaving a job. An additional 40% felt that leaving the workplace was the best decision they made.
Out of those who responded to the survey, 43% of the parents were employed and the rest were self-employed, taking a career break, studying, or looking for work. A small 17% were employed full time.
The financial impact is very real with seven out of ten families reporting their income has fallen and four in ten stating that at times they now struggle.
Most people expect that holiday parks will just have old caravans to stay in, but that is not true for most of them.
There is likely to be a selection of caravans to choose form at a holiday park. They will vary in size and quality and you will pay accordingly. There are likely to be some small ones which are not so luxurious but also some big ones, with space for the largest of families.
Most holiday parks have a camp site, so you will be able to bring your own caravan or camper van or pitch a tent if you want to. They will have all of the facilities that you would expect from a camp site.
Some holiday parks have a selection of chalets. These will again vary. Some are just sleeping accommodation with a bathroom and others have a kitchen and sitting room as well.
Some holiday parks now have hotels as well. This means that you can get a luxurious stay without having to worry about cooking meals and you will still be able to take advantage of all of the entertainment.
So if you are considering a holiday park stay then make sure that you take a good look at all of the different accommodation options and make sure that you choose something which will suit your needs and your budget. There are plenty of options available as long as you choose the right holiday park as some will be more limited in choice than others.
Having a holiday with your family is a wonderful thing to do, you get the chance to do things together, see some interesting things, and have a bit of fun. It can be a bit hard sometimes though finding a cheap cruise holiday that can suit everyone particularly if you’re a family with varying tastes. One option that you could look at which is suitable for all sorts of different tastes is a cruise holiday. There are so many options in terms of where you can go and what you can see, and on board ship you’ll have lots of choices too.
Of course, as well as getting to see a number of different places in one trip, there are lots of other advantages too. No queuing or sitting in the same seats for hours while you get from A to B, and you only have to unpack everything the once. Your mode of travel is your hotel, and you can go to sleep one evening, and wake up the next morning in a new country with a new view from your balcony.
On boarding your cruise ship you’ll be able to start your holiday immediately, a sun lounger by the pool, a stroll along the deck, or maybe taking part in one of the activities laid on. Companies such as Royal Caribbean or Celebrity Cruises offer excellent facilities for kids too, with staff specially trained to work with them, and activities laid on to suit the various different age groups from 3 upwards. For mum and dad, this means you can take a bit of time off and pamper yourselves!
You’ll want to spend some time together as a family too, and excursions are great opportunities for you to do this. Every place you cruise ship docks there will be the chance for you to head inland and see some of the sights, and take in a bit of the local culture. What exactly you do will vary depending on where your cruise takes place, you could be in the Mediterranean cruising amongst the Canary Islands, or you could be heading down to Florida on a cruise.
Every location will have its opportunities be they shopping, animal watching, or admiring man made pyramids built long ago, and at the end of each day’s outing you’ll return to your floating hotel and the luxury it offers. Back on board, you can experience fine dining or choose from a variety of more casual places to eat. There will be shows to watch in the evenings, bars to sit in, and people to talk to about the adventures you are sharing. Cruising is an experience that is second to none, and for many people, once you’ve cruised once, you’ll return again and again, even if you never take the same journey twice.
 Half of all children believe that they have observed their parents while drunk according to a survey published from the CBBC Newsround. The study also revealed that out of these 30% felt scared when they watched adults drink and 72% of all the children stated that their parents drink.
46% of the children would prefer if adults did not drink in their presence. 32% thought that it was ok for adults to drink around children and 22% reported that they were not sure.
The study also revealed that 82% of children noticed that adults behaved differently when they were drinking with 24% stating that it made them act silly, 20% stating it made them angry, 20% saying it made them look funny. On the downside, 19% reported that it made adults act strange, 18% said it made them become loud and prone to swear, and a final 17% said it made adults fall or become dizzy.
CBC Controller, Damian Kavanagh, stated that there has been a lot of discussion in regards to drinking and its social impact, but it is not very often that the effect on children is observed. He continued to explain that alcohol is part of most people’s lives in some way, yet most people are not comfortable talking about it.
Childwise was commissioned to carry out the study which took place during April and May of this year.
Knowing that antivirus software is an absolute essential for any computer operator, regardless of the scope of activities, the burning question is who to buy it from and how much to pay. In fact you may not need to buy antivirus online protection, since there are so many free offers out there from so many different companies. The challenge is to pick the one that provides the specific protection you need; if that is included in the free offers, so much the better.
Quite simply, there is no substitute for research, but it you haven’t the time or inclination to do your own, by all means take advantage of the established and respected authorities on the subject who have undertaken the research for you. Agencies such as AV-Test.org can give you all the details, but it’s up to you to determine which program will serve you best at the price you are willing to pay.
Some of the most comprehensive antivirus and scanning programs come as packaged discs that you can buy at a computer store, but here again prices vary substantially. The best ones offer continuous updates that can be downloaded free as part of the package.
The same is true of the programs that can be downloaded immediately after an online purchase or for free. You need to find out, if possible, what the ‘real’ cost of the program will be if you keep it in place and upgrade when suggested. A free trial may be anywhere from 15 days to a year or even two, so make sure you’re aware of the expiration date.
You will also need to know your own computer’s capabilities and take into account your own level of experience. Some programs provide a lot of extras that you may have no use for, and since they usually cost more, you can spare yourself extra confusion, not to mention money, by staying with the basics.
To mention only a few of the top-rated antivirus software vendors that offer free downloads, McAfee, Norton and Symantec are among the best. All of them have excellent programs and they keep abreast or one step ahead of the current scams and attacks that the bad guys are constantly coming up with.
Some include free games, movies and other perks to go with the security package. Note, however, that ‘free’ refers to a trial period of 14 days to a month; after that you’ll have to pay for it.
If you are an enterprising and resourceful sort, it’s quite possible to ‘free trial’ your way along for an indefinite period of time. However there are obvious drawbacks to this approach, one being the potential downtime between removing one and loading another. You need to be quick on the download, so to speak, and keep close track of your current status in terms of protection.
 Drinkaware, the alcohol education campaigners has warned parents not to provide young children with alcohol.
According to claims made by the group, 53% of all dads and mums in Wales offer their 16 and 17 year olds at least five bottles of spirits to consume over a holiday. It also claims that 26% of Welsh parents give their children drink because they believe it is better they provide it than someone else since they are sure their children will find it anyway.
The group also claims that Welch parents are happy about giving their children drink even though a fifth are aware of the fact that a child has had a bad experience drinking, and two thirds of parents now of an incidence in which drink has made their child ill.
Chief executive of Drinkaware, Chris Sorek, stated that many 16 and 17 year olds in Wales enjoy marking the end of exams with a holiday, but if parents offer them alcohol to consume on the holiday they place their children at risk.
Sorek continued to say while parents may believe they are taking the appropriate action by making sure the alcohol comes from s trusted source instead of a stranger; young children that drink in excess compromise their personal safety and increase the risks of accidents or unprotected sex.
Holidays in Newquay, Cornwall was overshadowed in 2009 when two students died that fell off the cliffs and an additional student broke their neck. Teens drinking also have caused a rash of incidents throughout the town as a result of anti-social behaviour.
Sorek stated that the best approach is to remind students that they do not need alcohol in order to celebrate.
 Most parents are not able to recognize that their pre-school children are overweight due to parental blinders, according to the results from a new study. The study found that 71% of all parents that participated in the research with obese or overweight toddlers thought their children were lighter or a healthy weight, even though they were not.
If a paediatrician had not discussed the issue with the parents, they were even more likely to believe that their child was lighter than reality, with only 8% of parents reporting that they had discussed their child’s weight with a doctor.
Study researcher, Dr. Raquel Hernandez, stated that paediatricians need to be more forward about discussing weight with parents because while it may be a difficult subject to broach, in the long run it will pay off because if offers a chance for parents to re-evaluate their children’s’ eating habits.
Hernandez continued to explain that it is one thing to be worried about baby fat, but obesity starting at a young age does have an impact on a child not limited to the fact that children need to develop good habits so that they can learn how to be healthy for the rest of their lives.
Many studies have found that children that are overweight at age two increase their risk of obesity as they grow by about five times. The American Academy of Paediatrics recommends that doctors screen for obesity and overweight children starting at age two using the BMI (body mass index).
Children who are overweight will fall into the 85th-94th percentile of the BMI chart and those that are obese are above the 95th percentile.
 MINE4SURE offers a range of personalised iron-on name labels for marking children’s clothes. The labels stick quickly, easily and effectively on all types of fabrics. The company also offers stickers for marking other belongings, such as lunch boxes and stationery. Orders can be placed through the company’s website and delivery is free all over the world.
MINE4SURE labels offer a quick, long-lasting and affordable way to mark and identify children’s belongings. The labels are made from an innovative iron-on material, which is resistant to washing and drying and will not fade or peel off. The labels are quick to affix, taking under 10 seconds to apply with an iron. The labels stick to all fabrics, including nylon and wool, which means that they can be used on all items of clothing, even socks.
Schools, nurseries, holiday camps and sports clubs often require children’s clothes and belongings to be identified, as children easily lose their possessions or are not able to recognise them. Sewing on labels can be laborious and time consuming, so MINE4SURE has designed and developed a range of iron-on labels that stick to all types of fabrics. The company also offers a comprehensive range of stickers for other kinds of surfaces.
As well as being practical, the labels are fun, with a wide range of colours and fonts to choose from. Pictures can also be added to customise the labels. The iron-on labels can be used for any item of clothing, such as uniforms, babies’ clothes, hats, gloves, scarves, jumpers, socks, coats, sportswear, bibs, underwear, trousers and T-shirts, as well as other fabric articles including napkins, towels and sheets. The company’s range of stickers can be used to mark other items, such as shoes, sports equipment, stationery and toys.
MINE4SURE’s stickers are resistant to wear and tear and can be used on items that go into dishwashers, microwaves, bottle warmers and sterilisers. The stickers come in a range of different shapes and sizes. The large stickers are suitable for books, notebooks, baby bottles, beakers, lunch boxes, tennis rackets, toys, school bags, sports bags, lockers, cooler bags, flasks, skateboards, surfboards, skis, rollerblades, suitcases, and so on.
The small stickers are designed for use with pencil cases, rulers, CDs, DVDs, mobile phones, headphones, toys, table-tennis bats, musical instruments, inflatable rings, arm bands, board games, game consoles, and similar items.
The mini-stickers can be used to identify pens, markers, colouring pencils, sunglasses, swimming goggles, toothbrushes, combs, shampoo bottles and cutlery, for example.
The five-line stickers are specially designed to include an address or personalised message, and can include up to five lines of text. These stickers are ideal for identifying luggage or bikes, to indicate allergies or medical conditions, or for use on special occasions (such as birthdays and weddings).
MINE4SURE also makes stickers that are specially designed for shoes: these stickers are protected by a transparent film for tougher resistance to perspiration and rubbing. They can be used on all kinds and sizes of shoes, such as flip-flops, boots, football boots, ballet shoes, flippers, slippers, trainers and tennis shoes.
MINE4SURE products do not contain any harmful chemicals, since all the inks and materials used comply with Germany’s Oeko-Tex Standard 100, which is considerably stricter than other European standards.
The labels can be ordered directly through MINE4SURE’s website. Secure payment is accepted in pounds sterling, euros and US dollars. There is no charge for delivery.
About MINE4SURE
MINE4SURE was founded by Benoit-Jean Morin, a father of four young children, who recognised the need for an easier and more efficient way of marking clothes and belongings. The company is based near Pau (in the Pyrenees region of south-western France) and has been making labels and stickers since 2005.
For further information, please go to: www.mine4sure.com
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For years the problem of overweight and obesity in children has been considered an affliction of the lower classes, but this is really not the case, as evidenced by the new line of clothing for ages 3 to 16 recently introduced by Marks & Spencer.
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